Marcelo Bosch was aptly named phonetically when he made his debut for Argentina eight years ago, a bosher being a pejorative term for someone who prefers to go through opponents rather than around them. The Pumas were then a team where everything started at forward and almost always ended there with the backs required to kick and tackle.
Argentina are now the great entertainers having taken the opposite direction to France. They produced in the first 20 minutes of their quarter-final victory over Ireland some of the best rugby this tournament: everything done at pace, and the transition from 10-man rugby to everyman has been astonishingly rapid, taking little more than two years.
Bosch, the centre who joined Saracens in 2013 after spending seven years at Biarritz, has seen the two sides of Argentina, the cold and the bold, and believes the decision to join the Rugby Championship in 2011 after being spurned by the Six Nations has been the making of the Pumas who, in the last 15 months, have beaten Australia in Mendoza and South Africa in Durban.
“Playing for the last four years in the Rugby Championship has helped us develop as a side because we are playing the best teams in the world, based on the rankings, twice every year,” said Bosch, who will be staying at Saracens for another two seasons even though Argentina are setting up a Super Rugby franchise next season and are considering excluding players who are based in Europe from international selection. “You have to step up or be decapitated.
“Argentina wanted to join the Six Nations after the 2007 World Cup because most of the players were based in Europe. I do not know why it did not happen, and would we be in the position we are now, playing attacking rugby with confidence, had we been accepted? It is a good question. The two tournaments have a different dynamic and, perhaps, if we were not in the Rugby Championship we would not be where we are and playing as we are.”
Bosch was speaking at Argentina’s base in Bagshot, commandeered from England following the hosts’ early exit from the tournament. Gone are the security guards, who must have been there to ensure that no player escaped, and the on-message player interviews. Argentina speak as they play, relaxed and open, Bosch following the scrum-half Martin Landajo who smiled all the way through his questioning as he explained the dangers of allowing rugby to become all-consuming and suppressing fun.
“Argentina are like Saracens in that we have a bond with each other,” said Bosch. “We enjoy each other’s company. It is rugby but not only that. You need to be in a happy environment. A national team is different to a club but ,when you are keen to go to training with your team-mates, it makes a positive atmosphere and you play better.
“We are relaxed. We play dice and cards in or team room, listen to music and once a week we have a movie for everyone with chocolates. We laugh, it is how we are. You have to enjoy the ride.”
And they are. They were the rank outsiders on their only other appearance in a semi-final, losing to the eventual winners South Africa, but they know they can beat Australia and if they will be the underdogs on Sunday, they were last weekend when they faced the Six Nations champions Ireland and shredded a defence renowned for its meanness.
“When we joined the Rugby Championship we had Graham Henry [the 2011 New Zealand World Cup winning coach] act as a consultant,” said Bosch. “He was important for us, saying that we had to be able to score tries, and with Daniel Hourcade coming in as head coach, our way of playing has changed. We are confident in what we do. We like to play and want the ball in our hands but we have to be tactical against Australia. Detail will matter and we have to keep our emotions balanced. We like to run from everywhere, but you have to play for territory at times.”
Bosch is the only change from the side that started the 43-20 victory over Ireland. He missed that match through suspension after being cited for a high tackle against Namibia. “I had worked so hard to get to that stage and to blow it with a silly mistake was depressing, but everyone in the squad gave me support,” he said.
“I knew if we lost I might have played my last game for Argentina because it may be that only players who are with the Super Rugby franchise are eligible for the Pumas, but here we are and I am so happy to be involved. I may not know what the future holds for me, but for Argentina it is only good.”
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